University of Tennessee Athletics
Reese, Burdick Named McWhorter Nominees
April 24, 2015 | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Hunter Reese of men's tennis and Cierra Burdick of women's basketball have been nominated for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship by the University of Tennessee.
The H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship has been presented by the Southeastern Conference since 1986 to the league's top male and female scholar-athletes.
The Southeastern Conference will name the 2015 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 30.
Highlights of Tennessee' nominees include:
Hunter Reese, Tennis, Tennessee
• Expected to graduate in May with a degree in Kinesiology
• Excelled in the classroom as a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll
• Teamed up with fellow senior Mikelis Libietis to become the first Tennessee doubles team since 1980 to win NCAA Doubles Championship (2014)
• Reese and Libietis became the first team in college tennis history to win back-to-back titles at the ITA All-American Championships in 2013 and 2014, the first "Grand Slam" of the college tennis season
• Held No. 1 national doubles ranking during portions of his sophomore, junior and senior seasons
• He and Libietis were named the 2014 ITA Doubles Team of the Year by holding the year-end No. 1 national ranking.
• Two-time All-American (2013, 2014)
• Three-time All-SEC (2012, 2013, 2014)
• Ranked as high as No. 16 in singles and ranks in Tennessee's top 15 in career singles wins
Cierra Burdick, Basketball, Tennessee
• Has 3.86 grade point average in communication studies and is slated to graduate in May
• Interned in summer 2014 with host Robin Roberts of ABC's Good Morning America after Burdick had first gone to Moscow, Russia, to help the USA 3x3 team win FIBA World Championship
• CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team (2015)
• SEC Community Service Team (2014, 2015)
• SEC Academic Honor Rolls (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
• Wrote copy and provided photos for a UTSports.com blog of her experiences called "Ridin' With Cierra"
• Started DREAM Team at UT, organizing a speaker's bureau of student-athletes who talk to youth in the community about avoiding drugs, alcohol, tobacco and violence
• Selected in second round of 2015 WNBA Draft by Los Angeles Sparks (14th overall pick)
• AP Honorable Mention All-American (2015)
• Coaches All-SEC First Team (2015)
• Contributed to the Lady Vols making three NCAA Elite Eight appearances and a Sweet 16 showing during her four years
• Was instrumental in UT winning SEC regular season titles in 2013 and 2015 and SEC Tournament crowns in 2012 and 2014
• Finished career with 1,072 points and 794 rebounds in 132 games, starting 73 of them
Each year, the SEC, in conjunction with AT&T, an SEC official sponsor, provides the league's male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 26 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $7,500 post-graduate scholarship.
The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 14 SEC institutions and are honored at the SEC Spring Meetings in Sandestin, Fla., in late May.
Last year's McWhorter Award recipients were Cory Whitsett of the Alabama golf team and Shannon Vreeland of the Georgia swimming and diving team.
